● 270+ Global Clients · 97% NPS

Executive Search Firm India & USA | Retained Headhunting

The best executives are fully employed, casually open, and waiting to hear from someone who makes a compelling case. That's not a job board conversation — it's a headhunting conversation.

Start an Executive Search → View Case Studies

270+

Global Clients

97%

NPS Score

95%

Offer Acceptance

30d

Avg. Time-to-Hire

Start Your Search Brief

Business email required. We respond within 4 hours.

Client Stories

What Our Clients Say

“

Talhive is a wonderful agency that handled the hiring of our junior and senior-level engineers flawlessly. They were responsive, respectful, and diligent. They helped us find the perfect candidates in a very brief timeframe.

Samanyou Garg

CEO, Writesonic

“

Talhive has a very professional team of recruiters who have been a pleasure to work with. They quickly understood our requirements and delivered high-quality candidate profiles in very short time. Thanks to them, we could fill a key position within 4 weeks.

Nikhil Jain

Head of Product, ketteQ

Our Services

What We Deliver

🎯

Retained Executive Search

Senior mandates, full ownership.

🏗️

Talent Acquisition

Strategic partner, not a vendor.

⚡

India Team Build / RPO

Scale rapidly with a dedicated team.

🤝

Staffing & Contracting

Contract and full-time placements.

The Challenge

Hiring the Right Talent Isn't Easy

Market Clamor

Standing out amongst other recruiters is a challenge. With hundreds of agencies pitching the same tired database, your roles become invisible to the talent that matters.

Talent Juggler

Quality candidates juggle multiple job offers simultaneously. Without a compelling pitch and a fast process, they accept a competitor's offer before you've finished scheduling the second interview.

Time Management

Filtering applications to find quality candidates is time-consuming. The average hiring manager spends 13+ hours per week on recruitment admin alone — time stolen from work that actually moves the business.

Why It Matters

The Talent Gap Is a Strategic Risk

70%

of the global workforce is passive — they are not on job boards and will never see your posting.

92%

of job loyalty hinges on an excellent employer brand. Poor positioning loses candidates before the first call.

75%

of hiring costs are spent recovering from bad hires. One wrong placement costs 3–6× the annual salary.

58%

of candidates decline offers due to poor hiring experiences. Your process is your product.

Our Approach

Talhive: Hiring Streamlined

Talhive's executive search practice is built around confidential direct outreach, a compelling narrative for why a candidate should consider the role, and a rigorous evaluation methodology. We place Heads, VPs, and C-suite across technology, product, revenue, and operations — with a 12-month replacement guarantee.

The Pillars of Talhive Partnership

Specialised Recruitment Desks

Vertical-specialist teams — not generalist recruiters juggling 20 functions at once.

Vast Curated Talent Pool

20,000+ pre-vetted professionals across tech, product, design, sales, data, AI, and finance.

Streamlined Process

Our 8-step methodology ensures swift hires without sacrificing quality. Average: 30 days.

1:5 Hiring Ratio

Maximum 5 candidates per role. Every profile is shortlisted, not just sourced.

Detailed Candidate Synopsis

Full synopsis with background, motivations, culture fit, and technical evaluation.

CDQ Methodology

Career Discovery Questionnaire explores trajectory, aspirations, and skills beyond the CV.

12-Month Guarantee

If the placed candidate leaves within 12 months, we re-run the search at no additional fee.

Our 8-Step Process

Initiate Agreement

Formalise the search mandate and raise the retainer invoice, securing exclusive focus.

Stakeholder Discovery

Deep-dive into the role — intricacies, team dynamics, culture, compensation, success metrics.

Search Manifesto

Detailed search brief documenting everything discussed — our blueprint for sourcing.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Precise person specification for targeted headhunting, not a generic job description.

Candidate Discovery

CDQ process uncovers motivations, aspirations, and interests far beyond the CV.

Synopsis & Evaluation

Shortlisted candidates receive detailed technical evaluations and comprehensive synopses.

Interview Coordination

We manage all interview stages, candidate experience, and extend the offer with full negotiation support.

Close & Guarantee

Post-offer engagement, onboarding support, and project sign-off with our 12-month guarantee.

From the Founders

"I treat every hire as a revenue multiplier, not a headcount filler."

Som Nautiyal

CEO · Strategic Talent Architect

12+ years · 25+ funded startups scaled · B2B GTM hiring advisor

"Great delivery is not speed alone — it's predictable performance under pressure."

Pratik Mokashi

COO · Zero-to-One Team Builder

Scaled delivery from 0 to 120+ tech specialists · SLA-backed metrics

Send a Search Brief

Business email required. We respond within 4 hours.

Your Name * Please enter your name

Company * Please enter your company

Business Email * Use a business email (not Gmail/Yahoo)

Phone * Please enter your phone

Role(s) to Hire * Please tell us the role(s)

Company Size

Timeline

Additional Context

🔒 Business email required · Reply within 4 hours · No spam

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is executive search and how does it work?+

Executive search (also known as headhunting) is a specialist recruitment practice focused on identifying and approaching senior professionals — typically Director, VP, and C-suite level — who are not actively job seeking. Talhive reaches out directly, builds a compelling case for the role, and manages the full evaluation and negotiation process.

How long does an executive search typically take?+

Most executive searches deliver a first shortlist within 15–20 business days. Offer and acceptance typically adds another 2–4 weeks. Total time-to-start is 6–10 weeks from brief to day one, depending on notice periods.

What is the success rate of executive search?+

Talhive successfully places over 85% of accepted mandates. We offer a 12-month replacement guarantee — if the placed candidate leaves within 12 months for any reason other than company-side redundancy, we re-run the search at no additional fee.

What is the cost of executive search in India?+

Executive search fees are typically 18–25% of the first-year total compensation package, charged in two tranches — a retained fee upfront and the remainder on placement. Fees for US searches may vary.

Does Talhive handle confidential executive searches?+

Yes. Confidentiality is standard in executive search. We never disclose a client's identity to a candidate without explicit permission, and search processes are managed with full discretion.